NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: 20. Neville
The sign on the train read: Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.
As the two looked back, they saw that where the ticket gate used to be, there was now a wrought iron archway with the words: Platform 9 and 3/4 written on it.
Thick smoke from the steam engine hung over the chattering crowd, and cats of different colors scurried around under people's feet.
Among the noise of the crowd and the sound of heavy luggage being dragged, owls hooted loudly, calling to one another.
"Ivan, I'm feeling a bit nervous," Hermione said.
She kept glancing around, mostly watching the other young witches and wizards like them.
The little witch was very worried that her magic skills wouldn't be good enough for the lessons at Hogwarts. She was also afraid that the students from wizard families would look down on her.
"You need to believe in yourself, Hermione," Ivan replied with a smile. "You're really talented, definitely not worse than them."
Ivan truly meant it. After spending two weeks together, he had seen Hermione's abilities.
In his opinion, if Hermione's talents were measured by points, she would excel in thinking skills.
Her memory and logical reasoning were remarkable. Even Ivan, who had a score of 3 in thinking, couldn't match her.
From this, he guessed that Hermione's thinking skills were probably at 4 points.
To put it into perspective, having 3 points in any attribute is exceptional; it means you're one in a million.
People like Hermione, who have such high abilities, are rarely seen in the magical world for decades.
Except for her thinking skills, Ivan thought Hermione's magical power was average, only around 2 points.
However, he believed her magical talent was still among the best, close to 3 but not quite there yet.
Then there was her willpower. Ivan admired Hermione's self-discipline.
Just think about it: a person who can dedicate all their time to studying and considers exercises, exams, and memorization fun!
Ivan found her perseverance impressive.
While he could spend time learning magic, Hermione was a super student who could remember everything she had read.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never reach Hermione's level.
Even with two lifetimes, Ivan didn't have that strong willpower in his past life.
So, he didn't think there was anything wrong with not being as good as Hermione when it came to willpower.
Also, attributes are fixed. Hermione, at 12 years old when she started school, wouldn't suddenly gain more willpower as she grew up.
A score of 3 in willpower reflects potential, not the current state.
For instance, let's say Hermione and Professor McGonagall both have thinking scores of 4, but it's clear that McGonagall is the stronger thinker.
Similarly, Ivan's magical ability is 5, which means he is stronger than 11-year-old Dumbledore.
Thinking: 4, Magic: 2, Will: 3.
These attributes are above average for most wizards, and in the original story, Hermione eventually became Minister of Magic, showing her great talent.
"But I'm still worried," Hermione said.
She began reciting the textbooks she had read to distract herself from the anxiety of possibly being outshone by other young wizards.
This made Ivan both laugh and feel sorry for her.
"Let's go find a seat," he suggested.
Ivan and Hermione pushed their cart forward on the platform, looking for an empty compartment.
The first few carriages were already packed with students. Some leaned out the windows to talk to their families, while others were playing in their seats.
Soon, they found a compartment with just a round-faced boy sitting inside.
"Excuse me, can we sit here?" Ivan asked.
He used a levitation spell to make their gifts float behind him. Hermione peeked out from behind him and looked closely at the boy.
He didn't seem very smart.
"Yes, you can," the boy replied shyly, lowering his head.
"I'm Ivan Ambrosius, and this is my friend Hermione," he said.
"Hermione Granger," she added.
After they sat down, the boy introduced himself.
"My name is Neville," he said quietly. "Neville Longbottom."
"Hello," Ivan responded, recognizing that this boy was an important character from the original Harry Potter story—the hidden hero who would one day wield the Sword of Gryffindor.
With that thought in mind, Ivan used his magic to float their gifts up to the shelf above, stacking his own cage, Hermione's owl, and Crookshanks' cage in the corner of the compartment.
"That's amazing!" Neville said, staring in surprise. "How did you do that?"
"I mean..."
Neville interrupted, "You can do magic!"
"???" Hermione looked confused. "Are you from the Muggle world like us?"
"No, my family are all wizards," Neville answered softly. He looked at Ivan with envy and admiration. "But I... I can't do magic."
From Neville's description, it seemed his magical abilities were quite poor, leading many family members to believe he didn't belong at Hogwarts.
Once, Neville's uncle had thrown him out of a window, but he bounced back up without harm, which made his family happy.
"When we got the admission letter from Hogwarts, my grandma and everyone were thrilled," he said.
Neville was friendly, and Ivan and Hermione quickly became friends with him, sharing stories about their families and experiences.
Neville didn't mind that they came from Muggle families. Even though the Longbottom family was pure-blood, they didn't look down on half-bloods or Muggle-born wizards.
"Ivan, you're amazing," Neville said for the umpteenth time.
Hermione replied, "Of course Ivan is amazing, but haven't you seen any little wizard as smart as him?"
In Hermione's eyes, children from wizard families must be incredibly talented.
They must have been learning magic since they were young, each one a genius.
Well, except for Neville.
According to him, he didn't know any magic at all.
Hermione thought this must be an exception.
"I've never seen it," Neville admitted.
Even though the Longbottom family had relatives and friends, Neville had never met another young wizard like Ivan, who could use magic before starting school.
Especially when Ivan cast spells without even using a wand.
"How did you do that just now?" Neville asked curiously. "I heard from my grandma that you need a wand to perform magic, but even if I had one, I wouldn't know how to use it."
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